I skimmed the fic the first time around, having no idea what I was getting into. I found out about it on TV Tropes and decided to see the story. I was shocked that it was an 80k one shot and that meant I was going to have to read the story more carefully after the first skimming. I had initially just started around the point where Ranma joins the support group and was horrified at how callous they were and how it reflected real life cases, as indicated in the notes. I'm not sure if that is still true or not, but the Double Standard still exists.
Anyways, I spoiled much of the story because the suspense was killing me and decided after a time to read it again.
And with each re-read, I am picking up on more details and hints throughout the story. The writing is impressive and visual without going into Purple Prose for the most part. The characters aren't charicatures and the detail into Akane's mental health and Ranma's steady decline towards depression was well-done to the point of tragedy, reflecting what I suspect are many real-life cases of this.
People are obsessed over the fact that this encouraged the Ron the Death Eater portrayal of Akane, but to me, that means bashing the character just because you don't like them. Here, it shows a mix of terror and even sympathy for Miss Tendo as her marriage falls apart. And by the end, it becomes clear that much of the tragedy and horror could have been very well avoided had other parties intervened sooner. The fact that the author puts in a great deal of effort into trying to understand why she has such anger issues despite everything she and Ranma have been through together makes it even more impressive. This is not bashing, but a tragic character study for both Akane and Ranma.
The Bitter End has become a warning tale for relationships everywhere, proving Akane's famous "It's different when a woman does it" line from her debut wrong. It is NOT different when a woman hits a man. It is the same thing. And sometimes, the best thing to do is to get out of the relationship, even if it is the hardest thing to do.
Initial scoring was 8/10, due to some odd descriptions, but my grade is now a 9/10. Rest in peace, Jason Bateman, for writing this. Thank you...
Dark, Depressing, But Compelling, Well-Written, and Important
I skimmed the fic the first time around, having no idea what I was getting into. I found out about it on TV Tropes and decided to see the story. I was shocked that it was an 80k one shot and that meant I was going to have to read the story more carefully after the first skimming. I had initially just started around the point where Ranma joins the support group and was horrified at how callous they were and how it reflected real life cases, as indicated in the notes. I'm not sure if that is still true or not, but the Double Standard still exists.
Anyways, I spoiled much of the story because the suspense was killing me and decided after a time to read it again.
And with each re-read, I am picking up on more details and hints throughout the story. The writing is impressive and visual without going into Purple Prose for the most part. The characters aren't charicatures and the detail into Akane's mental health and Ranma's steady decline towards depression was well-done to the point of tragedy, reflecting what I suspect are many real-life cases of this.
People are obsessed over the fact that this encouraged the Ron the Death Eater portrayal of Akane, but to me, that means bashing the character just because you don't like them. Here, it shows a mix of terror and even sympathy for Miss Tendo as her marriage falls apart. And by the end, it becomes clear that much of the tragedy and horror could have been very well avoided had other parties intervened sooner. The fact that the author puts in a great deal of effort into trying to understand why she has such anger issues despite everything she and Ranma have been through together makes it even more impressive. This is not bashing, but a tragic character study for both Akane and Ranma.
The Bitter End has become a warning tale for relationships everywhere, proving Akane's famous "It's different when a woman does it" line from her debut wrong. It is NOT different when a woman hits a man. It is the same thing. And sometimes, the best thing to do is to get out of the relationship, even if it is the hardest thing to do.
Initial scoring was 8/10, due to some odd descriptions, but my grade is now a 9/10. Rest in peace, Jason Bateman, for writing this. Thank you...